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As The World Turns

Daytime soap As The World Turns may be having its final revolutions on CBS, after more than 53 years.

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worldThe future for daytime soaps in America continues to look perilous as CBS mulls over its long-running As the World Turns.

The show has been running since 1956, four years later than CBS’ other institution, Guiding Light, which ends in October. That’s getting replaced by Lets Make A Deal.

“It is also having ratings challenges,” CBS president Nina Tassler says of World. “It is hard to say (if it is safe).”

Tassler says she “doesn’t know when” the fate of the program will be determined. “It is one of those things where you watch and you talk. All of daytime is a challenged daypart.”

The show isn’t currently airing in Australia.

Like sands through the hourglass. So are the soaps of our lives….

Source: NYPost

17 Responses

  1. I see what your saying but thats what is good about Neighbours its simple and realistic. I think that although those episodes were very tragic there was humor too, eg. One minute the Parkers are in tears over bridget’s death and the next scene the rest of ramsay street are all having a cake baking compitition!

  2. @ Patrick
    ATWT have sped up their story telling and no one likes its. Guiding Light changed their entire format. They filmed outside and in real houses and ditched the soapy background music. It killed the show.

    If anything, the soaps need to go back to what they were doing 20-30 years ago. Ratings are falling because the soaps are changing, not the viewers.

  3. Jack, that’s interesting. I actually feel quite the opposite re Neighbours and the other soaps. Neighbours has dealt heavily with greif not once, but twice so far this year. They have done it realistically without any soapy gloss. For the writers to think that passes as entertainment makes me think they have never been through that them selves. Neighbours was my all time favorite soap but now i much prefer the others as I find these greif laden epsisodes very difficult to watch.

  4. I have never understood the interest in Ammerican daytime soaps myself, I am a big fan of Soaps and daytime dramas but Ammerican soaps always seem too over the top and unrealistic. The storylines are hard to follow and the acting in some shows can be really cringe worthy. British soaps aren’t bad but they always seem far too depressing and generally bore me to tears. As of now the only soap that I watch daily is Neighbours, its simple storylines and good blend of comedy and drama which is carried out by a strong cast of talented actors makes me tune in night after night- its the only soap I feel I can actually watch nower days.

  5. Unless they can find another storyline on B&B other than Ridge “The Poncho” Forrester bouncing between Brooke and that chick who has had way too much plastic surgery, then it surely would be for the scrapheap.

  6. It’s a bit sad seeing some of these long running soaps go…..but if they’re not making money for the networks then that’s it – there’s no room for sentiment in showbiz.

    But a problem with some of them have been their refusal to update their format. Some are still using, slow, old fashioned techniques to tell their stories – which may have worked fine 20/30/40 years ago, but not now.

    Lou D. mentioned Telenovelas. I think this format may eventually become universally adopted as their faster pacing and stories are well blended within some traditional soap opera structure. Also their limited time-line gives audiences a clear end-date.

    One of the very best Telenovelas I’ve ever seen was shown on SBS twice during the 90’s called Den of Wolves (Cuna De Lobos). That really was a fantastic show with great characters and acting that all worked towards a powerful conclusion.

  7. CBS snuck in ATWT’s 1 year renewal when it was announced that Guiding Light had been cancelled. The producers knew they had to get their act together, but haven’t. And why should they? They will just find jobs on other soaps (just as some of the writers that led Guiding Light to cancellation have been given jobs at ATWT). The industry is being killed by network executives who allow the soaps to be destroyed by recycled hacks. Once the job is done they just move onto another show and repeat.

    Days is going pretty well at moment in viewers and households and has always done in demos since the ’90s so I expect it to be renewed. It still makes NBC money.

  9. I do hope the daytime soaps don’t dissapear to the point of extinction. They are still one of my favorite forms of tv. I really look forward to watching Days, B&B and Y&R on my trusty VCR. Y&R is getting excited with old characters returning and upcoming gay storylines, so I wonder if nine would infact consider bringing it back?

  10. ATWT was on Foxtel way back when for a few years. It was there with “all my children” and general hospital, back during the “Talk Soap” network days.

    The soaps stretch their storylines out far too long, and people simply choose not to tune in. Telenovelas are often fast paced soaps, tho usually with a limited run.

  11. Guiding Light was the longest running program ever. It started as a radio soap before television began. ATWT has fallen into a hole and appears to be struggling to climb out of. Days might be okay for another contract as it has climbed back to near the top of the Neilsons. It was 2nd last for a while but is #3 or #4 now plus, more importantly it has cut costs considerably by letting go of at least 4 expensive veteran cast members from the show.

  12. I heard this show mentioned on a show I watched last week (probably Mad Men) and wondered if it was still going. Now I know.

    I wonder if Nine will try to get Young and the Restless back, if Days gets axed by NBC.

  14. The days of seeing any new daytime soaps appear to be long gone.

    I don’t believe As The World Turns ever aired in Australia, although of course its ‘sister soap’ Another World was shown for decades on Ch 10.

    For Days of Our Lives fans, they probably won’t have to wait too long to know of its fate as the current contract is due to expire in about September/October 2010. No news yet on any extensions but I’m sure if it finally went Ch 9’s Daytime programming will fall into a hole – along with its nighttime one!!

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